


so why don't you stay with me, share all your secrets tonight

by notthebigspoon



Category: Baseball RPF
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-14
Updated: 2012-08-14
Packaged: 2017-11-12 04:06:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/486503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notthebigspoon/pseuds/notthebigspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nobody has anything to celebrate after that game, not even Crawford.</p><p>Title taken from Stay With Me (Brass Bed) by Josh Gracin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	so why don't you stay with me, share all your secrets tonight

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to [ like a simple question looking for an answer](http://archiveofourown.org/works/484907).

Nobody has anything to celebrate after that game, not even Crawford. Well, Ryan thinks that Crawford would be at least a little happy about his home run but after the initial high wore off the man had become just as depressed as the rest of them. Which Ryan found kind of odd because of any of them, he was the only one with a reason to smile. Yet he looks as bad as most of them and worse than a few and when he leaves, he just mumbles a good night to Ryan and disappears without another word.

He's not all that hungry after the game, almost queasy, so he refuses any invitations to go commisserate over dinner in favor of eating a cheeseburger with one hand on the drive back to his place. He goes straight to bed when he gets home, deletes the post game summary on his DVR and watches The Back-Up Plan instead.

Just as Alex O'Loughlin is being accused of being a pervert, the doorbell rings and he grumbles under his breath. He has never gotten to watch this movie in peace and he's always interrupted in the same ten minute span of the movie. Grumbling, he yanks on a pair of sweat pants over his boxers and jogs through the house and down the stairs.

He makes it to the door just as the doorbell rings again and he yanks the door open to see... Jalynne. Huh. Not what he'd been expecting.

“Um... hi.”

“Hi.” Jalynne says, smiling brightly. In what Ryan is pretty sure is going to become a reflex, he leans in. Jalynne meets him halfway for a kiss, amazing just as the rest of them have been, before stepping inside when he steps back and gestures for her to come inside. “Thanks. Brandon was being... well, Brandon. So. Here I am.”

“Gonna have to maybe explain that for me because I'm not quite sure what you mean.” Ryan murmurs, guiding her into the living room and dropping onto the couch. He tries not to be too pleased when she curls into him. “Can I get you a drink?”

“No thanks. And... he's just angry, depressed. Disappointed with himself.”

Ryan stares. “How can he be disappointed with himself? He did a hell of a lot better than the rest of us were doing.”

“He feels like he could have done more.”

It doesn't make any sense to Ryan. Brandon can get as angry and messed up as anyone but that doesn't really sound like what this is. He doesn't realize how lost in his own thoughts he is until Jalynne is patting his cheek and smooching him. 

"Ryan, do you know what Brandon's issue is?” She asks, and Ryan shakes his head because he didn't know Brandon even _had_ any issues. “He thinks love and affection come at a price. That he's only as valuable as how he can play, as what he can give."

“But... why?”

“It's a little bit of a lot of things. The state of his relationship with his dad depends on how well he's performing. When we got together... he was so eager to please. I thought it was cute. Then I kind of figured out that he really was scared that if he didn't do and say the right things, I was going to be gone. When he proposed, I made him tell me what his deal was. He's never really had a healthy relationship. He might be a great baseball player and god, you know how gorgeous he is, but sometimes he doesn't think that much of himself. Always wondering if he's saying or doing the right thing.”

“And you left him alone like that?”

“He'll be fine, sweetie. Sometimes when these things happen, he needs to be alone and think on it until he stops being stupid. He was pacing and cussing and... well, he was getting on my nerves. He'll be fine when I get home. Or, he'd better be.”

“You could always stay here. Let him cool off overnight.”

Ryan isn't trying to be a creep, he's not, and he desperately hopes that he's not overstepping his boundaries. They said they were a package deal and last night Jalynne had told him to relax, that they were all in this together. He wouldn't think twice of asking Brandon to stay and... well, he just kind of feels the same way with Jalynne.

To his relief, she smiles and nods, smooching him. “I'd love to.”

“Bed?” He asks, without thinking and when she starts giggling, he groans and buries his face in her hair, mumbling, “I swear, I didn't mean it like that.”

“Stop panicking and take me to bed, Theriot.”

“Yes ma'am.”

He shows her up to the bedroom and forages through his drawers before pitching her a t-shirt to borrow. He doesn't bother pretending he's not looking when she changes and he's relieved when she just laughs and pulls him in for a kiss. This woman is perfect and Theriot wants to know how the hell Crawford ever managed to snag her.

Later, with Jalynne laughing so hard she's actually snorting and tears are rolling down her cheeks while Miracle Max tries to weasel out of reviving Westley, he finds himself wondering how the hell he got so lucky. When she falls asleep curled up in his arms with her head on his chest, he decides that he doesn't care how it happened, just so long as it doesn't end.


End file.
